Santa Anita’s Opening Day, delayed to Sunday due to weather, drew over 41,000 fans and was a standout for trainer Bob Baffert, who secured three graded stakes wins including the Grade I Malibu Stakes with Goal Oriented and the Grade I La Brea Stakes with Usha. Other notable performances included Nysos winning the Grade II Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes in a prep likely aimed at the lucrative Saudi Cup, and Knightsbridge capturing the Grade III Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Across the country, key graded stakes victories were recorded at Oaklawn Park, Aqueduct, and Turfway Park, highlighting a busy weekend of top-level racing.

Internationally, Japan hosted a major weekend of Grade I races, culminating in Museum Mile’s narrow victory in the prestigious Arima Kinen, signaling his potential for major international middle-distance events in 2026. The season finale also featured promising performances by 2-year-olds like Lovcen in the Hopeful Stakes and set the stage for upcoming dirt races at Oi Racecourse, spotlighting top Japanese dirt specialists as they prepare for high-stakes global competitions.